Wisconsin Residency Information for MD Admissions

The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (UW SMPH) accepts applications from both Wisconsin residents and non-residents. Highly qualified applicants from throughout the United States are encouraged to apply. All applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United States.

All Wisconsin resident and non-resident applicants are evaluated by the same criteria but in different applicant pools. At least 75 percent of positions for new students go to Wisconsin residents except for the MD/PhD program, where residency is not considered. It is to your advantage to be a resident of Wisconsin when applying to the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.

Wisconsin residency has been defined by the state legislature for the purposes of applying to UW SMPH and paying tuition. A summary can be found on the UW-Madison Office of the Registrar website.   

For determination of Wisconsin residency, we only use the information that you submit as part of your secondary application. The state of legal residence that you reported on your AMCAS application is not considered. Laws and rules used by other states and universities do not apply. It is possible that you could be considered a resident of more than one state. This does not disqualify you from being a Wisconsin resident.

For the purposes of acceptance to the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, your Wisconsin residency is based on the day that you submit this secondary application. It is possible that if you are living and working in Wisconsin that your residency could change by the time that your residency is determined for the purposes of paying tuition.

If you claim to be a Wisconsin resident on your application, then we will confirm your residency status with the Office of the Registrar before further processing. If you claim to be a non-resident, then we only confirm your non-residency status if you are accepted to the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.

Although making false statements on this application can have serious consequences, it will not be held against you if we determine that you are not a resident as long as you had a reasonable belief that you were and answered supporting questions truthfully. Appeal of non-resident status is through the Office of the Registrar.